Garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) in Russian folk culture

Abstract

This paper aims to briefly review how a garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) is imprinted in the folk culture of Russian-speaking territories. Having been the most important legume of this territory for millennia, this plant left its traces in local and personal names, proverbs and idioms. Some of these pieces of folklore may help to reconstruct the phenotype of peas cultivated in the old Russia.

Keywords

• folklore
• linguistics
• Pisum sativum
• Russia
• traditional agriculture